Tennessee Justice Center Names Kirkland & Ellis LLP Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year
The board of directors of the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) honored Kirkland & Ellis LLP as a Pro Bono Firm of the Year for the Firm's work on the John B. case. The John B. case affects healthcare for more than 600,000 children served by Tennessee's Medicaid program, including the vast majority of Tennessee's children with special needs and all foster children in state custody.
Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Janice M. Holder presented the awards to Kirkland and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, which was also honored for its work on the John B. case, at a reception on June 4, 2010. Kirkland and Sonnenschein have donated more than $9.5 million in pro bono services to Tennessee children over the past four years.
Chief Justice Holder said, "It is a special honor to be here. In 2008, the Supreme Court publicly announced its Access of Justice Initiative to focus on meeting the legal needs of low-income citizens. The court has declared this cause to be its top priority now and in the foreseeable future. Access to justice is especially crucial to people with unmet medical needs such as the clients of the Tennessee Justice Center. Today we celebrate the pro bono contributions of Kirkland & Ellis and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal and their attorneys. The result of their efforts has made access to justice a reality for many Tennesseans."
Kirkland has been involved in the John B. case since 2006. More than 48 of the firm's attorneys have worked with TJC to represent the children in Tennessee.
"It's been an honor to be involved on the John B. case, which so directly impacts the well-being of hundreds of thousands of children in Tennessee, and we are humbled by this recognition from the Tennessee Justice Center," said Vickie Reznik, partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
"We are very grateful to both law firms for their efforts on behalf of Tennessee children and families in need of vital health care services," said Michele Johnson, managing attorney of the Tennessee Justice Center. "Their generosity in sharing their time and legal expertise has had a tremendous impact on the lives of thousands of families across Tennessee."
About Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Kirkland & Ellis is a 1,500-attorney law firm representing global clients in complex litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, corporate and tax, restructuring, and intellectual property and technology matters. The Firm has offices in Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C. The Firm's commitment to pro bono service is demonstrated by its annual contribution of 3 percent of total billable hours to pro bono efforts. In addition, the Kirkland & Ellis Foundation provides financial support to not-for-profit, charitable and law-related organizations.
About Tennessee Justice Center
The Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) is a non-profit public interest law firm. Its purpose is to respond to threats to the health and well-being of Tennessee's most vulnerable citizens by being their advocate and working through the law. For more information, please visit http://www.tnjustice.org/.